The suspect was taken into police custody yesterday for questioning at police headquarters. Later his house at Tokarara, in Moresby Northwest, was searched. The suspect has not been named but he is understood to be a policeman who has been on suspension for a disciplinary offence.

The death threats followed the explosion of a devise outside Mr Turi’s residence at Gerehu Tasion police barracks last month. No one was injured but the blast caused a crater and slight damage to a vehicle.

The criminal investigation division detective working on the case searched the suspect’s house yesterday for evidence in the presence of Mr Turi.

Mr Turi said that the suspect is alleged to be involved in defacing a police weapon, subject to investigation.

He did not specify what the suspect has been charged with but said that bail will be revoked as he is also facing other serious criminal allegations and that his suspension will be extended without pay. He said the suspect, along with other rogue police officer, are all part of a syndicate that the CID was slowly but surely breaking.

He said these same people will also be facing other criminal charges and that there are people from the public who are coming out to report to police on previous cases, some as serious as murders.

He said that the threats to Police Commissioner Baki and himself are all because of the stance they are taking to clean up the police force of rogue cops.

In their threatening text to Mr Turi, mention is made that the RPNGC is very big and that not all cops were with him, some are there to kill.

Threats to disrupt international events to be hosted by the country were also made.

Pacific Islands Report is a nonprofit news publication of the Pacific Islands Development Program at the East-West Center in Honolulu, Hawai‘i. Offered as a free service to readers, PIR provides an edited digest of news, commentary and analysis from across the Pacific Islands region, Monday - Friday.